Title: Clandestine

Rating: T (or PG-13 whichever you prefer to follow). Rated for language and certain content.

Warnings: Slash (Boys/Boys & possibly Girls/Girls but not likely) and Bad writing ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in the story that you recognize, those are all the property of J.K. Rowling. :) So please no suing! Storyline and all original characters are mine. :)

Clandestine

Chapter Three: A Chance Meeting

The Leaky Cauldron was a very strange place. At first glance, it seemed seedy and unkempt. But as Harry passed through, he began to notice little details that made it appear much more welcoming than one might think. Although, some of the patrons were not terribly easy on the eyes. Willing himself not to stare, Harry quietly followed Hagrid out into a damp alley and came face to face with a rather solid brick wall. He watched Hagrid who simply stared at the wall, idly running his fingers over the handle of the worn umbrella. Several moments passed before Hagrid finally reached up and tapped the end of the umbrella against some of the bricks. Once the last brick was touched, the bricks began to warp and slide themselves away, forming an archway into the heart of Diagon Alley.

The chaos surrounding him was deafening and immediately he was struck with the fear that he was going to get lost. In a fit of panic, he immediately whirled around to run back through the archway, only to smack right into the stomach of his very large companion. "Ho' there, Harry! You okay?" The concern in the man s voice caused Harry's cheeks to go pink. Of course he wouldn't get lost here.. His guardian was the size of a compact car! Still feeling embarrassed about his silliness, he simply nodded and mumbled something about tripping over an undone shoelace. Hagrid clapped him on the back, which caused Harry to lose his balance. "Le's go, then!" Because of the half-giant's large steps, Harry nearly had to run to keep up, but he was able to wheeze out a few questions about various stands they passed. It was only as he caught a glimpse of the prices on some cauldrons that Harry realized something very important. "Hagrid, how am I supposed to get anything if I don't have any money?" Hagrid chuckled and gestured toward a very large, pristine white building. "Gringotts, o' course!"

Harry did not like the Goblins. They were ugly, rude and greedy little things. In fact, they quite reminded him of his cousin, Dudley. Any time spent inside that bank was too long and he was not looking forward to ever having to come back. When they had arrived at his vault, he filled a pouch with as much money as he could conceivably stuff inside of it, hoping it was enough to last at least through the school year. The Goblin didn't seem at all surprised by the amount of gold he was pocketing, which of course made Harry wonder if he was nearly half as rich as he felt upon staring at the piles of gold within his vault. He didn't know why his parents had been so well off, but he was certainly thankful for the opportunity to get out of Dudley's ridiculous hand-me-downs. A quick trip to a second vault ("Hogwarts business," Hagrid had informed him) and they were out of the bank and back into the bustling Alley once more. From there, the real madness began. "Firs' stop, Inscription!" Hagrid called out cheerfully. If his words hinted at the adventure this shopping trip had in store for them, Harry missed it entirely.

It seemed like they'd been shopping for ages. They started in a relatively normal store as far as school supplies are concerned. Quills, ink, parchment and various other items you'd expect to find on a school shopping list. However, the stores they ventured into next were anything but normal. They had been in cauldron shops, book stores, a shop for wands (which did not go well at all) and a pet shop where he found a beautiful snowy owl. However, Harry was beginning to think the list was never going to end. More importantly, his stomach was being quite vocal about its needs. He vaguely remembered his toast for breakfast and decided he would ask Hagrid if they could stop for a snack, when he ran right into the back of the man. This was, Harry mused, becoming an annoyingly common occurrence today. "You alrigh' there, Harry?" Hagrid asked as he helped the boy to his feet. He gestured at the ice cream shop he'd brought them to. "Could 'ear that grumble a mile away!" he chuckled as Harry nodded and began to make his way to the counter. After ordering a massive sundae (Hagrid insisted he get the largest size, "You could use some meat on yer bones!") they found a table overlooking the Alley. Harry took this opportunity to ask Hagrid as many questions as he could think of about the wizarding world. Mostly, he was curious as to what to expect while at Hogwarts. Later, he vowed, he would ask about his parents.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a very grouchy blonde was dragging his feet behind a slender man as they made their way down the Alley's cobblestone streets. "Sev, I'm tired. Are we done yet?" Draco whined. "Draco, we've only just arrived. Could you at least give me ten minutes before you start complaining? You'd think you'd be happy to be out of that house." Severus drawled. It was plain to see that neither of them truly wished to be there today. Severus had a lot on his mind and Draco, well, he was just being Draco. And if there was one thing Severus knew, it was that you didn't want to be distracted with a needy Draco in tow. The plan was to finish all of his shopping in a survivable thirty minutes. Due to crowds and a few lines, it took them an extra twenty-three minutes to get through Draco's list. Twenty-three minutes of pure, whiny hell. "Alright, Draco. This is our last stop. Please try to behave so that we can get this over with." Severus was nearly begging and they both knew it. So, with a determined look plastered across his face, Draco marched into the robe shop. A light tinkling of a bell alerted one of the clerks to his arrival which only proved to sour his mood further. The clerk was a young woman, no more than twenty, and she was clearly pleased with the customer she had just spotted. After all, a Malfoy meant money, no matter the age. Draco groaned as she squealed with delight, and allowed himself to be led to a pedestal for measurements.

Harry looked at the displays of the robe shop with dismay. "Do we have to wear robes all the time?" he moaned. "'course not! Only fer class 'n special occasions." Hagrid explained as he pushed a slightly relieved Harry through the door. Initially, the clerk wore a look of disappointment upon seeing the two come through the door. If anyone looked poor, it was surely them. Harry followed the clerk to a pedestal next to a rather feminine looking boy. As she measured and made little comments about the state of his wardrobe, Harry studied the boy. There was something very striking about his platinum blonde hair and sharp features. He didn't know why, but something about the boy made him seem very powerful, though it could very well have been that his clothes looked quite expensive. Feeling the weight of the stare, Draco searched for the source. It only took him a moment to spot Harry who was outright staring at this point. Taking in the boy s look of baggy clothes and unkempt hair, Draco figured the boy was merely jealous of his financial standing. "See something you like?" he sneered, just as his father had taught him. Harry, taken aback by the tone, recoiled. "Well, I had thought I'd seen a potential friend, but clearly I was wrong." He looked away before he could see the hurt that ghosted across Draco's face.

The closest Draco had ever come to having a friend, was Dobby. Sure, he had the two goons, but Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were not friends, by any stretch of the imagination. They were simply lackeys that were useful to do Draco's bidding. And Parkinson, well, Pansy just wanted him for breeding purposes. Draco suppressed a shudder at the thought of even hugging the girl, let alone marrying her. And here was this boy, looking near destitute, entertaining the idea of friendship with Draco. His father would be disgusted and certainly very disappointed in him, should he accept this small boy's invitation. But every part of him yearned for a true friend, someone he could talk to and not control. It was this desire to have someone there, which caused him to go against his father's wishes. He turned back to the boy and quietly whispered his apology. "I'm sorry for my tone. Most of the people who talk to me, only do so because of my father. I did not mean to offend you and I would like it greatly if we could start this exchange over. My name is Draco Malfoy, and you are?" Draco looked at the boy, allowing hope to spark behind his storm colored stare.

Harry, taken aback by the sincerity from the boy, eyed him carefully for a moment. His first words had been so cold and yet, here he was now, sounding as if he truly cared what Harry had to say. "It's alright. I'm used to people not being very nice to me. I'm Harry Potter." As his statement reached an end, three things happened in rapid succession. First, he noticed Draco's eyes go wide. Second, the entire store gave a collective gasp and stared at Harry. And lastly, the young witch taking his measurements gasped and lost her balance, causing her to hit Harry very hard in the crotch. Harry fell to the ground, moaning in agony as Draco let forth a string of very foul curse words to the young seamstress for her carelessness as he went to get Severus. "Cast something, Sev. He's hurting! I'm sure you know what it's like.." Draco gasped, winded after running to find the man. As much as it pained Severus to help the son of James Potter, he truly did know the kind of pain the boy was feeling. Casting a quick numbing spell, he watched as Draco helped Harry to his feet. It didn't take long for him to realize that Draco was serious about befriending this boy. If only he knew just how much Lucius would object. Severus, however, could see that this could work to his advantage. If Draco were to be friends with Harry Potter, he would surely not fall into the ranks of the Dark Lord. He smirked and went across the street to get some tea, giving Draco ample time to talk to his new friend.

If Harry had thought Draco was cruel before, that thought had long since gone. As the clerks finished measuring and taking orders, the boys talked. Harry talked about his life as little as possible, which was easy to do since he could see that Draco loved to talk. Draco went on about families, Hogwarts, his manor and even something called a house elf which he had said was named 'Dobby'. They talked about as much as they could for the thirty minutes they had before their robes were completed. Hagrid came back for Harry first, since Severus was still watching the boys from across the way and didn't want to interrupt. Glancing at the time, he realized why Hagrid looked so rushed. If they were going to make it to the train station on time, they needed to be on their way. After draining the rest of his tea, Severus made his way back to Draco. They would be apparating back to the manor to get the rest of Draco's things before heading to the train. Harry and Hagrid, however, would be taking the Knight Bus to the platform. Neither mode of transportation was optimal for a sick boy and one who had eaten just a bit too much hot fudge sundae. Neither guardian was in for a terribly clean journey, but thanks to a little bit of magic, at least it wouldn't leave a stain.

A/N: That's all for this chapter. Things are moving pretty slow, which is kind of how I want it to go, though it will definitely pick up if not next chapter, then definitely the following. I know you guys have been waiting a long time for me to continue with this story and I hope you're not disappointed.